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Ontario Athletes Shine at Paralympic Games in Rio

Province’s Athletes Help Team Canada Exceed Medal Goal

Ontario is celebrating the outstanding performance of our athletes at the XV Paralympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who helped Team Canada exceed its medal goal.

This year, 49 Ontario athletes were part of the Canadian team that competed in 19 of 23 sports. Ontario Olympians contributed to four of Team Canada's total 29 medals, helping Canada finish 14th in overall medal standings. This exceeds Team Canada's overall goal of a top-16 finish, as the team builds for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Caledon Swimmer Tess Routliffe, who won silver in the 200-metre Individual Medley. Routliffe also won four gold medals at the TORONTO 2015 Parapan Am Games.

Toronto's Shelly Gautier, who earned a bronze medal in the Time Trial T1-2 road cycling event. Gautier was also a torch bearer for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, where she won a silver medal.

London's Curtis Thom, who earned a bronze medal as part of the 4x400m Relay.

Ontario supports its athletes year-round with direct financial assistance through programs like Quest for Gold. The 49 Ontario athletes on Team Canada's 162 member contingent included 45 who received funding from the province's Quest for Gold program, which provides over $6 million annually in direct athlete assistance.

Last summer's TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games were an important springboard for many of the Team Canada athletes competing in Rio. Athletes gained unique experience and achieved a top-two finish for Canada and a record medal count in those games, with Ontario athletes contributing to close to half. As well, 25 new or renovated sports facilities -- such as the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre and the York University Stadium -- are long-lasting legacies of the 2015 Games, serving the local community and providing important training facilities for high-performance athletes.

Ontario has tripled its support for amateur sport from $8.78 million in 2003 to more than $27 million in 2015-16.

As part of the development pillar of Game ON, The Ontario Games Program, contributes to the development of sport and athletes through multi-sport games such as the recent 2016 Ontario Summer Games in Mississauga and the 2018 Ontario Games recently awarded to London, Orillia and Mississauga.